High Court declines bail for ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in connection with 1990 custody death incident
The top court has given a thumbs down to former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's plea for bail in a 1990 custodial death case in Gujarat. The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, flatly refused to grant him bail and suspension of his sentence.
However, they ensured that his pending appeal against the conviction and life sentence would be expedited. Justice Mehta, who penned down the judgment, emphasized that the orders passed in this decision would not affect the appeals of the appellant in any way.
Bhatt's legal team, led by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, had petitioned for bail and a suspension of his sentence. Unfortunately for Bhatt, his plea fell on deaf ears, with the bench stating that they were not inclined to release him on bail.
This development comes after Bhatt submitted his application in his ongoing appeal which was reserved by the court in February this year. Before this, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed his appeal in January 2024.
Back in 1990, Sanjiv Bhatt served as the Additional Superintendent of Police in Jamnagar. A problem occurred when a man, who had been detained for a violence-related incident, died in a hospital following his release. The man's brother alleged that he was brutally assaulted during his time in custody, eventually leading to his death.
Bhatt was dismissed from service in 2015 for unauthorized absence, and currently, he remains incarcerated without receiving even a day of bail or parole since his arrest in September 2018. He claimed that the court overlooked material discrepancies in the case against him, and that he deserved an acquittal.
The Supreme Court has issued notice on Bhatt's appeal and has set it for a hearing alongside appeals filed by other co-accused, Shaileshkumar Pandya and Pravinsingh Jadeja, who were granted protection from surrendering in March of this year.
In 2018, a lower court in Jamnagar convicted Bhatt and others for murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
- Supreme Court
- Ex-IPS Officer
- Custodial Death
- Gujarat
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- The Ex-IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt's appeal for bail in the 1990 custodial death case in Gujarat, which occurred in India, was flatly refused by the Supreme Court.
- The Supreme Court, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, stated that they were not inclined to release Bhatt on bail, despite his legal team's petition led by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal.
- In 2018, a lower court in Jamnagar, India, convicted Bhatt and others for murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
- Bhatt claimed that the court overlooked material discrepancies in the case against him and that he deserved an acquittal, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
- General news outlets in India are covering the developments in the Bhatt case, including his ongoing appeal in the Supreme Court, war-and-conflicts, politics, policy-and-legislation, crime-and-justice, and India news.
- The Supreme Court has issued notice on Bhatt's appeal and has set it for a hearing alongside appeals filed by other co-accused, Shaileshkumar Pandya and Pravinsingh Jadeja, who were granted protection from surrendering in March this year, as part of the ongoing news in India.
